Since when did we decide that men and women are interchangeable in hand-to-hand combat on the front lines? Why do we insist on women in combat but not in the NFL? Because we take football seriously. That’s no joke; it’s the sad truth.

We take panem et circenses seriously, but not the defense of the Republic.

On the other hand -- and mind you, I speak as a man with absolutely no interest in sports of any sort, who does his best to avoid all sports "news" -- the NFL clearly doesn't take itself, nor it customers, nor its future, all that seriously.